How to Submit a Manuscript

The MLI member presses welcome book proposals in the areas in which they have expressed interest or are currently publishing. For information about interests and recent titles from each press, click on Editorial Statements above, and from there visit the websites of each press to view recent titles.

Editors receive hundreds of prospectuses in the course of a year--at the larger presses, that number is often well over a thousand. Thus as a general rule it is better to send a proposal in hard copy, directed to the appropriate editor. It is too easy for a submission sent by email to get lost in what is always a lengthy queue. Please say in your cover letter that you want the proposal to be considered for the Modern Language Initiative.

We ask that authors not simultaneously submit to multiple members in the MLI consortium—that is, that you choose one press in the consortium to which to send your proposal. (You are free to send to another member of the consortium if your proposal doesn’t fit that press’s needs.) It is fine, however, to send your initial letter of inquiry simultaneously to other presses outside the consortium. Once a full manuscript has been invited, most presses request at least right of first refusal, if not that the manuscript not simultaneously be under submission elsewhere. Simultaneous submission of complete manuscripts does not guarantee faster acceptance but merely clogs the overall process for everyone.

We recommend that proposals include the following:

—a cover letter of two to four pages outlining the book's argument and its contribution to its field

—a current curriculum vitae

—a prospectus giving a detailed outline of the book (usually three to eight pages, often chapter-by-chapter)

—a sample chapter (optional)

We will attempt to give you an initial response within six weeks.

Note: We do not return materials unless you provide a prepaid return envelope. Please do not send any irreplaceable materials.

The Presses

For Fordham University Press, send to:

Helen Tartar, Editorial Director
Fordham University Press
University Box L
2546 Belmont Ave.
Bronx, NY 10458

For Northwestern University Press:

Henry L. Carrigan, Jr.
Acquisitions Department
Northwestern University Press
629 Noyes Street
Evanston, IL 60208

Flashpoints submissions for Northwestern University Press and correspondence should be sent via email to Dimendberg@cs.com. An initial inquiry giving a short description of the proposed project will be appreciated.

For University of Pennsylvania Press:

Jerome E. Singerman, Senior Editor
University of Pennsylvania Press
3905 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-4112

For University of Virginia Press:

Cathie Brettschneider, Humanities Editor
University of Virginia Press
P. O. Box 400318
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4318

For University of Washington Press:

Lorri Hagman, Executive Editor
University of Washington Press
4333 Brooklyn Avenue NE
Seattle, WA 98195

If these directions do not answer your questions, click on Contact on this website.